Mentor expectations and entrepreneurial venture creation: mediating role of the sense of nothing to lose and entrepreneurial resilience

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of mentor expectations on nascent entrepreneur’s venture creation and how this relationship strengthens/weakens when mediated by the sense of nothing to lose and entrepreneurial resilience.,The author nested the data from mentors and protege entrepreneurs by using a questionnaire survey. Mentors were those individuals who were established entrepreneurs and involved in training to protege entrepreneurs. Protege entrepreneurs were those who were part of the cohorts in incubation centers for training and startup training.,Data revealed that it was unlikely to create a new venture when mentors displayed low expectations in protege entrepreneurs. However, this relationship was positively mediated by the sense of nothing to lose and entrepreneurial resilience.,The findings have important implications on how mentor expectations can hinder protege entrepreneurs’ venture creation and how it turns around when entrepreneurs display the ability of nothing to lose and resilience.,Mentorship from other experienced individuals has become essential to entrepreneurs and their fledgling ventures. Although there is an acknowledgment that mentoring improves an entrepreneur’s likelihood of success in a new venture, yet far too little the authors know about the degree of expectations in mentor-mentee relationships and new venture creation. This research connects those pieces of the puzzle and fills the gap.